Recopied files

Why are my files copied over and over again ?
I just synced my files with a disk connected over the network. When I sync again, the same files are going to be copied again. What's going on? They shouldn't be copied again - I didn't make any changes.
 	 	
This problem is due to the modification times of the copied files actually being different after the sync. When the sync is run again, the file modification times really are different - maybe by only a few seconds.

You can see this most easily by clicking on a file pair in the Files to Copy window. At the bottom of the window, you'll see the modification time of the two files, with the time difference shown between them.

This problem occurs on Mac OS X due to a deficiency in the AppleShare Client. The AppleShare Client offsets the file modification time by the difference in time between the two computers. This does not happen when sharing files with Mac OS 9.

Another cause of this problem is that some file servers, notably some Windows servers, store file modification times to a resolution of 2 or more seconds. Macintosh file modification times are stored in seconds; a file modification time that is an odd number of seconds will be reported to the nearest two seconds. The default settings in the sync setup will cause Synchronize! Pro X to copy the file again.

Comparing Files in the Options menu provides a means of compensating for this. Here's how:

1. Use the Options menu to choose Comparing Files.
2. Check the modification time difference is > box.
3. Enter a number of seconds which is slightly larger than the time difference between files which were the same, as shown when you click on a file pair in the Files To Copy window.
4. Click OK.

If the modification times are still different, but by some number of hours, use the modification time difference is not an exact multiple of one hour setting in the Comparing Files options.